National team calls in 3 Sounders

Three Seattle Sounders have been called in to the United States national team for its next round of World Cup qualifying.

Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson and Brad Evans will join their U.S. teammates Sunday in Miami and depart Tuesday for their Sept. 6 match at Costa Rica. They will then travel to Columbus, Ohio, where the USA plays Mexico on Sept. 10.

That timing means the trio will be with the Sounders on Saturday when they visit the Columbus Crew. However, they will miss the Wednesday home match against Chivas USA and the Sept. 7 home match against the Chicago Fire. Their availability for the Sept. 13 home match against Western Conference leader Real Salt Lake likely will depend on how much each plays in the Mexico match.

Dempsey, the U.S. national team captain, is one match away from his 100th with the team, but he is just three games into his career as a Sounder. Johnson has 18 career goals for the USA and six goals this season with Seattle. Evans has been a regular at midfield for Seattle while being used as a right back by national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

The United States leads its qualifying group with a 4-1-1 record with four matches remaining. The top three finishers in the group qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The fourth-place finisher goes to a two-game playoff against New Zealand, the Oceania region winner.